


The Littlest Companion

by Hannatude



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, Illustrated, Memorial fic, Photographs, Tolkien in the TARDIS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2018-03-07 20:38:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3182354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannatude/pseuds/Hannatude
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor's rather certain that today has been the worst day of his entire regeneration, and he just wants to be alone.</p>
<p>Of course, life tends to never give him what he wants, as, instead of silence and solitude, it's seen fit to send him a stowaway.</p>
<p> <br/>A stowaway who finds the TARDIS console to be a rather brilliant perch, thank you very much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Littlest Companion

**Author's Note:**

> 13 January, 2015 was the worst day in my entire life, as I lost my house and almost everything in it to a massive fire. The greatest loss was a little black cat by the name of Doctor Tolkien Holmes, who died of smoke inhalation. 
> 
> This one's for you, Boo.

It was, he decided, the _worst_ day of his _entire_ regeneration. Possibly all of his regenerations. (Well, besides the whole "destruction of Gallifrey and the entire Timelord race" thing.) His best friend - gone. And not just gone - her memories of him, their time together, erased to save her life.

  
And then there was Rose. He tried to console himself with the knowledge that she wasn't alone - that, while he couldn't be with her, he had left her with the next best thing - his... Clone...

  
He opened the TARDIS and stopped short.

  
"What." He said, blinking in disbelief at the sight that was before him.

  
Specifically, the small black creature sprawled across the console, batting at a lever with its paws, tail twitching joyfully.  
  


  
"No, no, no, no! How - where - WHY are you in here?" The Doctor cried, running to scoop the intruder into his arms. "Did you sneak in while I was..." He trailed off as he lifted the furry bundle, wrinkling his nose. "Smoke..?"

  
His eyes widened in alarm and he ran to the open door, looking for a burning building. Perhaps the little beastie had run to the TARDIS for safety? He scanned the street - no smoke or flames in sight.

  
"So... How did you get in here then, Little One?" He asked, idly scratching its ears as he closed the TARDIS door and walked back to the hub. "I bet your owners are worried sick about you," he studied the tag hanging from the leather collar around the cat's neck. "Tolkien. Have you got an address on... Hold on, this is an American phone number! What on _Earth_ are you doing here? Are your owners staying in a house nearby..?"

  
"Maow." The cat responded, blinking his golden green eyes slowly. The Doctor's brows wrinkled.

  
"Hang on - I'm going to give you a quick ozone bath, because you absolutely reek." He said, walking up the steps. The cat struggled in his arms, meowing in frustration. "No, I'm not letting you down, you'll get lost and stink up my - Ow, yes, that's my arm, stop clawing at it please."

  
When he finally got the creature de-smoked and smelling acceptable, he wandered back to the desktop, cat shoved back to front under his arm, keeping those needle-like claws as far away from his general person as possible. He dropped him into the jump seat and pointed a finger in his face.

  
"Stay. Here." He admonished, turning to the console. "I'm gonna try to find your owner using that number-"

  
"Maow." The cat jumped up on the console and butted his head against The Doctor's elbow.

  
"I said - Didn't I just tell you to stay over there?" He lifted the squirming feline off the surface and placed him on the floor. "Stay off the console."

  
The bell on the cat's collar jingled as he jumped right back up.  
  
The Doctor pushed him down.  
  
The cat jumped up.  
  
The Doctor pushed him down.  
  
The cat jumped up.  
  
The Doctor sighed and let him stay up.

  
  
"Okay, fine, sit there. I'm going to do a full scan on you while I wait for the TARDIS to connect me to your owner's phone number." The Doctor turned to scan the cat - and the cat was gone.

  
"Wh- Where are you now?!" He called, standing up. "Here, kitty kitty... Tolkien? Tolkien!"

  
"Maow." He turned and saw the little monster sitting on the jump seat.  
  
  
"Of course you'll sit there _now_..." The Doctor grumbled as he ran the handheld scanner over the cat's body. "I wonder if I've got something I can use as a harness to keep him close by..." He mused to himself as he headed for one of his many storage trunks to search.

  
"Maow!" The cat cried excitedly, leaping down from the seat and running over to investigate the nooks and crannies, looking for potential hiding spots.

  


"... Silk scarf from Mata Hari... Shakespeare's quill - I need to return that, actually... Oh! Here's a - wait, no, that's Arthur's bridle..." He muttered to himself as he dug through boxes, tossing items over his shoulder. "Aha! I knew it was in here somewhere." He crowed triumphantly, lifting the small harness above his head and waving it around.

  
Tolkien leapt daintily up on to the trunk, reaching for the nylon straps with an ebony paw, purring happily.

  
"Oh, so you know what this is? That's stellar, that's absolutely brilliant, molto bene. Now hold still so I can - No, come here, let me.." The Doctor tried to corral the feline, but, just as he got close enough to drape the harness over his shoulders, the cat would slither out from under his hands, tail shivering with glee.

  
"You've a bit of a puckish side, don't you?" The Doctor observed, watching the cat scale a tower of trunks with ease.

  
"Maow." Tolkien intoned solemnly before stretching his leg into the air and beginning to groom his nether regions.

  
"Oh that's nice. Very classy." The Doctor noted drily as he stood, brushing dust from his suit as he walked over to the cat. He rolled his eyes as Tolkien allowed him to snap the harness around his lithe, furry frame without a single twitch.

  
Once The Doctor had finished clipping him into the harness, Tolkien jumped to the floor and began rolling around in apparent ecstasy, purring loudly. Suddenly, a shrill whistling sound startled both Timelord and feline, sending the former running for the console and the latter for an open trunk. The Doctor yanked a screen over and looked at the results of the scan.

  
And then he read them again.

  
"I'm so sorry, Little One." He said gently, kneeling down to beckon to the cat. "But I can't bring you home."

  
"Maow." Came the black cat's quiet reply as he slowly walked over to the Timelord. They looked at each other, chocolate brown meeting golden green, and The Doctor sighed, sitting down.  


"Your home... It doesn't exist here." He began, stroking the cat's head. "You're not from this timeline - not even from this universe. I think you got pulled over here when..." He fell silent as he remembered how his little stow-away smelled earlier - whatever event the little cat had escaped from, it had been traumatic, to say the least. He sniffed, lifting the cat into his lap and pressing his face into his soft black fur.

  
Because the thoughts of traumatic experiences opened up the Pandora's Box of emotions he had been trying very hard to ignore, thank you very much.

  
"Maow." The bell jingled again as Tolkien squirmed, pulling him from his thoughts.  


"I'm so sorry." The Doctor whispered, lifting his head. "I'm sorry that I can't take you home, but..." He shifted the warm body in his arms and stood, walking over to place the cat on the jump seat and taking the seat beside him.

  
  
"If you want, you could live here, in the TARDIS, with me."

  
  
Quick as a wink Tolkien was was off, jumping up to sit on the console. He turned to look at The Doctor, curling his tail around his toes, purring happily.

  
  
"...You're incorrigible." The Doctor said with a fond sigh, walking over to scratch his new companion's head.

  
  
"Maow." Tolkien purred, butting The Doctor's hand in agreement.

**Author's Note:**

> **Written in Honour of Doctor Tolkien Holmes, who was born Summer 2013, and died 13 January 2015.**
> 
> Vale, mea infantem. Vale.


End file.
